It’s that time of year again.
Summer is drawing to a close (though nobody notified the weather) and September is rearing its head. Whether you’ve been counting down to the new school year since the end of June or you’ve been dreading this new beginning all summer long, we’re here to give you the memo that School is in fact almost here, and to ensure that you’re ready to face it when it comes.
But before anything else…
How was?!
You spent hours researching for the right camp. You went through the options over and over to find one that would be the best fit for your child. You picked a camp, you packed, and you prayed.
And then you blinked, and you saw an email from the camp. Not with registration forms, but with information for bus pickup and luggage collection… Because the summer, believe it or not, is already over.
Nu — how’d it go? Was it a good choice? Was your child happy? Were you happy?
Every year, parents reach out to Ezreinu for camp and day camp referrals. And the main thing they wanna know is: Will my child be a happy camper? What do other parents have to say about this program?
Ezreinu’s referrals are based on feedback.
Do a chessed for fellow families of kids with special needs and take half a minute to submit feedback on the camp or day camp you sent your child to this summer. Your name will not be shared unless you specify otherwise, but your valuable feedback will be!
Back to School
Back in the day, back-to-school shopping conjured up images of stiff, new Mary Janes, college-ruled composition notebooks, and yellow #2 pencils in a cute pencil case. We vowed to keep our backpacks beautifully organized, do our homework on the bus ride home, and bring healthy lunches every day.
Today, back-to-school prep in our world means anything from scouring Kohl’s for the last pair of stretchy no-zipper pants, to finding a creative, kid-proof spot to hide a tracking device, to preparing enough ziplocked spare changes to get your child through a few days of an unfamiliar school bathroom. Gone are the vows of perfection, having been replaced by resolutions along the lines of “This year, I will try to get through each day, one by one, without worrying about tomorrow.”.
Need some ideas to get you into the shopping mode? Check out our newsletter from this time, last year, for inspiration.
(Note that Oomph shoe store has since closed.)
Optimistic Expectations
Human nature is to try to please others by living up to their high expectations, and school staff, however experienced and self-confident they may be, are no exception to this rule.
Gifts, tips, and cards don’t need to wait until Chanukah time; on the first day of school, send along a tangible expression of your appreciation for the classroom teacher and staff to show how excited you are to place your child’s care and education in their hands this year.
Most importantly — feel it! Your optimism will be felt by the staff and will automatically spill over to how they teach and treat your child.
A great benefit of establishing a positive connection from Day One is that when misunderstandings come up (and they will), you will be viewed as a communicating team member instead of a complainer. When staff feel respected and appreciated, they will be more open to conversation about change.
Best Dressed
Though we can discuss how unfair and just plain not nice it is, the fact remains that better dressed often amounts to better treated.
Though it’s not necessary to spend a fortune on brand-name clothes which your child will likely not take good care of, making sure your child looks neat and put-together goes a very long way.
The teacher knows that your child has special needs, that mornings are a busy time, and that life is hectic and expensive, and she will probably do her best not to judge when a child comes to school looking a little unkempt. But giving her no reason to judge is even better.
At least for the first few weeks of the school year, it’s worthwhile to take the extra few minutes before your child leaves the house to make sure there are no stains, no hole-y socks, and sticky faces and hands have been wiped clean.
Mental Prep
All this practical advice is good and well, but without the emotional preparation to go with it, the transition to the new school year can be a bumpy one.
It takes time to adjust to a new schedule and setting, and it’s normal for your child to be out of sorts for the first few weeks. Remember that smooth sailing from the very beginning is unusual. Bus drivers need to learn their routes, teachers need to learn how your child ticks, and your child needs to learn how to behave in a school setting. It takes time and practice until all the gears turn in tandem, but if you know what you’re up against, the adjustment will be a smoother one.
While for us, the summer may have flown by in minutes, to a child, it felt like years. School is a foreign concept after a summer spent having fun in the sun. Talk to your child about the upcoming change so that he or she knows what to expect.
Download and print this adorable back-to-school social story which we put together special for you to read with your child!
Chumie, a cute 5-year-old with special needs, had her last day of day camp this week and no program to keep her busy until school would begin. Chumie’s mother changed her work schedule so that she could care for Chumie, but one day, she just wasn’t able to rearrange her schedule, and taking energetic Chumie along to her quiet office was not an option. She called Ezreinu and a volunteer came to care for Chumie for the full day, giving her mother the peace of mind she needed. ⬛
The Moskowitz family family was looking for a high school who would work with their daughter Rina, a 16-year-old girl with learning differences and social challenges. After coming to a dead end, they reached out to Ezreinu and were referred to several appropriate options. Rina interviewed and was accepted to an excellent school for the upcoming year. ⬛
Identifying details have been changed to protect client confidentiality.
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